American History

    In Abraham Lincolns Second American Revolution, a set of seven essays explores and discusses the transformational nature of the American Civil War and Lincolns leadership throughout that revolutionary struggle.  This book is much more than a descriptive analysis of the American Civil War quite the contrary, this book examines in an extraordinarily nuanced manner a number of features associated with Lincoln and this struggle.  It sets forth a variety of theories used to explain the underlying causes related to the American Civil War, it characterizes this bloody American conflict as a transformational revolution, and it discusses Lincolns leadership qualities from a variety of different perspectives.  This book is a must read for anyone interested in American history, the American Civil War, or Abraham Lincoln.
The Second American Revolution
    As a preliminary matter, the overarching theme of the book is the notion that the American Civil War functioned as Americas second revolution.  This is an interesting premise because it recharacterizes a pivotal moment in American history and portrays the conflict between the Unionists and the Confederates as a nation building phenomenon that was truly transformational.  This view of the American Civil War as a revolutionary conflict is demonstrated both in terms of the rhetoric employed by those opposing secession and by the transformational effects of the conflict.
    In vivid detail, the author is careful and diligent in setting forth the revolutionary language and philosophies relied upon by those who opposed secession.  In fact, the notion that this American conflict would rise to the level of a revolution was embraced both domestically and internationally.  Illustrative of this type of revolutionary rhetoric were pointed attacks issued by such influential persons as Thaddeus Young, James A. Garfield, and even Karl Marx.  In one speech before the American Civil War formally commenced, for example, Garfield
called for the confiscation of the land of Confederate planters and its redistribution among freed slaves and white Unionists in the South. To illustrate the need for such action, he drew upon the experience of the English revolution against the Stuarts and the American Revolution against Britain.

    In effect, Garfield like many of his contemporaries viewed the impending conflict as a genuine revolution and drew upon previous historical revolutions in order to highlight the severity of the dispute and the significance of the ultimate consequences for America.  His speeches also foreshadowed Lincolns unconditional surrender approach to the enemy.  In addition to detailing the revolutionary language and philosophies of Unionist leaders, the book also supports its thesis that the American Civil War constituted a revolution by pointing out the transformational effects of the conflict.  To this end, the author points out that
The liberation of four million slaves, along with destruction of the Souths political domination of national affairs and of the social order on which that domination was founded, metamorphosed a region (the former slave states) more than three times as large as France.

In short, by comparing the American Civil War to revolutions against England and within France, the author sets forth a compelling argument to view the American Civil War as a larger and more pervasive revolution.  This is because the United States were not yet made a truly unified nation, because Unionists themselves perceived the impending conflict as being revolutionary in nature, and because the consequences of the conflict were transformational in a truly revolutionary sense.  This argument is highly persuasive and this contributes positively to a better understanding of the nature of the American Civil War. 
 Causes and Motivation
    An additional positive contribution that this book makes is with respect to the underlying causes and motivations of the American Civil War.  Conventional wisdom tends to assume that the American Civil War was simply about slavery.  While the issue of slavery was certainly important, and while the abolitionist movement certainly supported the Unionist cause in most respects, this book points out that slavery was simply one of many causes leading to the American Civil War.  The book points out several different analytical frameworks for viewing the American Civil War.  Some of these analytical frameworks focus on the economic conflict between a free labor northern economy and a slave labor Southern economy, a Marxist class-based analysis, and even a school of thought which has characterized the American Civil War as the last great capitalist revolution.  By setting forth all of these different approaches to the American Civil War, this book presents a more nuanced view of causes and motivations to be sure, the American Civil War was about more than slavery.  The author makes this point by referring to one of the most highly respected American Civil War scholars the notion of the Civil War as the second American Revolution is identified most closely with Charles A. Beard. But in Beards view, slavery and emancipation were almost incidental to the real causes and consequences of the war.  This book therefore contributes two fascinating and important new ideas regarding the American Civil War.  First, it argues that the American Civil War should in reality be viewed as a second American Revolution.  Second, it argues that slavery should not be viewed as the sole causal factor when discussing or analyzing the American Civil War.  This book, in short, suggests important new ways of viewing the American Civil War.
Lincolns Leadership Political Thought and Communication
    In addition to viewing the American Civil War as a revolution, the book also examines Abraham Lincolns leadership from a variety of different perspectives.  What is most interesting, however, is how the book demonstrates an evolution of Abraham Lincolns approach to southern secession generally and to slavery more particularly.  It is interesting because Lincoln is viewed as an essentially conservative thinker and politician whom became more radical and revolutionary as events transpired.  With respect to slavery and emancipation, for example, Lincoln initially assumed a rather mild approach.  Rather than demanding an immediate end to slavery
His preferred solution of the slavery problem, Randall pointed out, was a program of gradual, compensated emancipation with the consent of the owners, stretching over a generation or more, with provision for the colonization abroad of emancipated slaves to minimize the potential for racial conflict and social disorder.

To some extant, as the book demonstrates, Lincoln was hesitant to embrace the revolutionary approaches advocated by Radical republicans such as Thaddeus Young and James A. Garfield.  He sought out and hoped for compromise.  When it became apparent to Lincoln that compromise would not be possible, Lincolns position hardened.  The book examines the hardening of Lincolns positions, and the evolution of his political thought at the time, in reference to his ultimate unconditional surrender doctrine and his use of language in speeches.  With respect to unconditional surrender the book explains how Lincoln developed a hands-on approach to his role as commander in chief, how he came to embrace the idea that compromise would only result in continued conflict, and that unconditional surrender meant a pervasive dismantling of southern politics, economic structures, and even social relationships. 
History demonstrates that Lincoln was uncompromising in his pursuit of a unified America, that he used force in a manner that led to an extraordinarily destructive civil war, and that he viewed the conflict in zero-sum terms.  Specifically, there could be no partial secession or other political compromise that did not completely result in the primacy of the federal government and the resolution of the conflict on Lincolns terms.  The assertions in this books essays to the effect that Lincoln was fierce in moments of crisis has been echoed by other scholars.  Lincoln exercised power in ways that were deemed to be both illegal and constitutionally impermissible for instance, Lincoln was willing to use extraordinary measures. These extraordinary measures included raising an army without congressional approval, the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, the military arrests--without due process of law--of thousands of critics of the war.

Another essay in the book cleverly demonstrates how Lincolns political thought was expressed through the use of various metaphors.  He used these metaphors to inspire his supporters and to highlight the general principles which he believed were most relevant to a young American nation.  At one point, the author suggests that because Lincoln was a more effective communicator than Jefferson Davis, mainly through his timely use of figurative language, that he was able to win the public relations war at the time and force through a revolutionary agenda.  The book recounts a number of Lincolns colorful stories and metaphors and attributes this story telling aptitude to Lincolns time spent with common people outdoors.  In sum, this book presents an interesting evolutionary view of Lincolns political thought and an entertaining account of his role as an effective communicator.

    In the final analysis, this is an excellent book.  It forces the reader to view both the American Civil War and Abraham Lincoln in a more nuanced manner while at the same time recounting entertaining anecdotes about Lincolns use of language to lead during that difficult time in American history.

Julia Alvarezs novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents reveals a story of four sisters immigrating to the US with their parents, a story of a family caught between their old world and their new world.  They grapple with decisions on how to blend their patriarchal, traditional values with their more independent and rebellious American surroundings.  Regardless of the choices that they make, there is a struggle. When they choose to retain elements of their Dominican culture, their American friends are critical and perplexed. Likewise, when they choose to discard a Dominican value and replace it with an American one, disapproval from family members is nearly unavoidable. The sisters and their parents each have a unique way of handling this question of how to create a new identity using the fabric of their two worlds.  Cultural displacement and the feeling of being in-between and not pertaining to either world is central to understanding the problematics the Garcia family faces in Alvarezs How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
In the title of the novel, the phrase Lost Their Accents refers to the immigration to the United States, which causes the sisters to Americanize and to lose some of their Dominican-ness in the process. By using a linguistically-charged term such as Accents, to describe the difficulties of immigration, Alvarez displays that Latino identity among others is related to linguistic identity.  In addition, for Julia Alvarez loss of accent articulates particular cultural loss experienced by immigrants, loss of homeland and loss of cultural essence that cannot be replaced or substituted.  Through the challenges and difficulties of immigration and a resulting hybrid existence, one watches the Garcia de la Torre family in fifteen intertwined stories, cope with their loss of privileged status, being perceived as the Other, struggling with English, and searching for their cultural identities.  Search for the identity starts for Yolanda with a journey, both literal and figurative back to the Dominican Republic to find a link to her past, a way to make her origins connect with her present. She visits her homeland, the land of her literal birth, with a sincere hope, that she will discover that she truly spiritually belongs there on the island.  In one of the books earliest scenes, Yolanda is about to make a wish on the candles on her welcome cake She leans forward and shuts her eyes. There is so much she wants, it is hard to single out one wish (Alvarez, 11).  In the final chapter, The Drum, Yolandas statement, There are still times I wake up at three oclock in the morning and peer into the darkness (Alvarez, 290) symbolizes Garcias family physical and spiritual search for its identity.
    Garcia girls and their parents coincidently feel as if they do not belong or fit into the United States in the way they have hoped they would.  Part of their feeling of being outsiders in the United States was foisted upon them by authentic Americans such as a neighbor in New York. La Bruja, as the girls not-so-fondly refer to her, often showcases her ignorance and bigotry when dealing with the Garcia family. La Bruja constantly complains to their buildings superintendent about the Garcias, highlighting things that make them different, and therefore in her opinion, bad neighbors. She does not understand and does not appreciate their language, food, or their culture. For example, The old woman in the apartment below, who had a helmet of beauty parlor blue hair, had been complaining to the super since the day the family moved in a few months ago. The Garcias should be evicted. Their food smelled. They spoke too loudly and not in English (Alvarez, 170).  From the critical perspective, Alvarez does not display the problem of neighboring but the dilemma of cultural acceptance. Mrs. Garcia addresses this problem with the argument that We have to walk around. We have to breathe (Alvarez, 170).  What more could they reasonably do to keep their neighbors happy Nothing. The lack of sympathy was surprising to the Garcia family. They could not understand how behavior such as this was an unfortunately commonplace occurrence, especially for immigrant or hybrid families in the United States.
Carla, the eldest daughter, encounters painful incidents of humiliation and confusion at her Catholic school. A gang of boys chases after her in the hallways and playground of the school peppering the air with mean and intolerant names and phrases, such as Go back to where you came from, you dirty spic No titties Monkey legs (Alvarez, 153).  Alvarez employs the image of harassing school kids to symbolize the lack of tolerance in contemporary American culture.  The boys were searching for liminal figures to harass - any kid that was different from the expected norm, whether in size, looks, wealth, language, ethnicity or country of origin.  From this perspective, in the harassed victims, such as Carla, their games only served to reinforce and highlight those differences.  Making excuses for her lack of belonging, Carla would blame her command of English when someone would ask her for directions or the time I dont speak very much English, she would say in a small voice by way of apology (Alvarez, 156).  Carla like her family is overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness, displacement, being in-between two places but belonging to neither, cooped up in those little suburban houses, withno island to make up the difference (Alvarez, 107).  As Alvarez articulates in the novel, this suation of being trapped in-between two places for the Gacria family is due to the fact that they were not yet reconciled to the idea of their immigration as a permanent change. They held on to the element of thinking they would eventually go home, that their move and the resulting uncomfortable duality were just temporary.  However, practically the Garcia family does not have any choice but to adjust culturally and emotionally to the United States.  Carlos explains this situation with a single statement This is your home, and never you should forget it (Alvarez, 25).
    Julia Alvarezs novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is not only a story of coping with change.  It is a story of what it is like to be a cultural hybrid and be in a constant search for cultural identity.  Coming from the Dominican Republic where life was Spanish and having to the United States into an Englishexistence, the Garcia family is straddling two worlds.  From Alvarezs perspective, this duality is permanent.  Familys identity, psychological bonds and familys memories serve as powerful anchors that make it impossible for the Garcia family to reject old homeland and embrace fully a new life and culture.

Petrarchs literary work, The Ascent of Mount Ventoux, details his journey of reaching the highest peak of the region that for so long had occupied his thoughts.  However, as the narration progresses, one realizes that the authors need to be on a higher plane in order to have a better view of his surroundings is, in actuality, a symbolism of a deeper need of men to reach a higher plateau of spiritual consciousness in order to view his corporeal and spiritual weaknesses that are innate in his persona.  Petrarch, through this literary work, then, poses an introspection into the dilemma of the human soul, that men go about to wonder at the heights of the mountain, the mighty waves of the seabut themselves they consider not (Halsall, 1998, p. 1).
    Petrarchs need of reaching the apex of the mountain, then, demonstrates his own spiritual need of being a step closer to God.  He came into a realization that his former journeys on the physical world, although had been most important for him then, is truly infinitely-miniscule compared to the journey that a person ought to embark onone which concerns itself with his spirit and its relationship with his God.  If a person is to mature, both in spirit and in faith, then, it is important for him to climb his own mountain, view the real person he truly is, minus the pride and the deception that are innate to him, and marvel at the divine magnificence of the Creator.


    Petrarchs The Ascent of Mount Ventoux had been able to clearly express without error, the essential need of the human soul to seek for an affirmation of his importance in his relationship with God.  For Petrarch as well as for all of us, this will result in an awakening where one will realize that his undertakings here on earth is really immaterial that what matters most is to free himself from his own shackles and view his spirituality from a higher plateau where he is able to accept his lifes follies and follow the will of his Creator.

According to Daley, violence is so widespread in the United States fundamentally because the American society was built on diversity and discord. She argues that the country was settled in an impromptu manner by dissimilar groups of people and the arrival of organized crime by way of the Sicilians into such a loosely organized country in which citizens had the constitutional right to bear arms, is the central reason for the countrys current problems. I do not think this analysis is convincing for first reasons. For she dismisses out of hand the validity of the impact of Americas capitalist economy and political ideology on crime. Second, that the UK was settled in a less ad hoc manner than America has not been shown and also the fact that Britain is stable and conservative does not mean it could never suffer from widespread violence. Third, the fact that she lays the violence entirely at the feet of immigrants also seems flawed.
Daleys argument provide insight into the rape of the Central Park jogger only in the scenario that Meilli has actually been raped by the five men that confessed. However, in the real situation as it was revealed, the crime had not been committed by someone of the mindlessly violent underclass, and indeed the rapist had not gone about committing the crime mindlessly and was not part of the underclass to which I think Daley refers.
I think the bombing of the London subway system in 2005 by four Muslim youths, three of whom were born in England of Pakistani descent, undermines Daleys conclusion that Britains stability and conservativeness could not lead to senseless violence is undermined. On the other hand, her seeming assertion that immigrants are the cause of violence could be supported by this incident. The youths were born in the UK but not of UK parentage, supporting (oblique) Daleys argument that immigrants with different motivations and lifestyles are causing problems in the society.
According to Wildmon, the major problems facing American society are large increases in the crime rate, the increasing abundance of pornography material, more music with explicit sexual lyrics, and more broken homes, all stemming from a deterioration of morals.
According to Wildmon, material with Christian characters, Christian values, and Christian culture should be shown in television more, while less programs espousing negative values, such as adultery, should be shown. He proposes that the Coalition for better television should make the decisions regarding what should be shown on television. According to Giamatti, what a pluralism of peoples, political beliefs, values, forms of merit and systems of religion should be shown on television. He argues that decisions regarding what should be shown on television should be left to everyone, that is, these decisions should not be made by one set of people. Giamatti argues that the moral majority wants to make these decisions on behalf of everyone without discussion and expect no dissent. He criticizes this and argues that no one set of people should make those decisions at the risk of threatening pluralistic values and everyones freedom.
According to Wildmon, television has a very important the to play in the development of morality in the United States. He directly links the deterioration of morals he has witnessed in the media over the last previous twenty-five years to negative societal outcomes such as increasing crime and divorce rates. In line with this, he sees television as one of the greatest tools of public education, and it can either be used to erode the moral fabric of the society or rebuild it. He claims that at the moment, television is being used to great effect to erode the moral fabric of the society because of its messages and the marked absence of Christianity on television. But he thinks that putting Christian characters, Christian values, and Christian culture back on television can help to stem the tide and rebuild the societys moral fabric if it is done soon enough.Voices from Abroad and American Voices

Exercise 1
A1 By Schlesinger opening with a scene from 1933, chronologically the termination point of the book, the reader has a very clear idea as to the contents of the book. At the same time the readers curiosity is awakened. He wants to know the reasons and the authors perspective of The Great Depression. So the reader is led into rest of the pages very effectively.

A2 Schlesinger chose to place that sentence third rather than first because the first two sentences give support to the topic sentence. The first sentence determines the timeline that is the date, time and year. While the second sentence sets the mood as well as giving background information as to why the American economy came to a stop.

A3 The paragraph is indeed engaging. It at once gives an impression of the vastness and grandeur of the American continent, while showing the despair of the President and the American people through the bad times.

A4 The quote at the end of the paragraph There is nothing more we can do., states the end of the term of the American President Herbert Hoover. It also shows the end of an era.

A5 The author does not refer to the President by name in the last sentence. In doing so he is able to show that not just the people but the head of the nation, the president himself, is tired and has given up.
A6 We are at the end of our rope, the weary President at last said, as the striking clock announced the day of his retirement. There is nothing more we can do. Shows the end of term of the then president. The end of an era also marks the beginning of a new era. So by the sentence we are led to believe that some other president will be reinstated. A feeling of hope for the future.

B1 The authors explicit rendering of the paragraph, at once brings the scene of 1920s before our eyes and captures the imagination. Then pathetic situation of the people of such a great nation is almost unbelievable. It definitely holds our interest.

B2 breadlines, shows that there were so many people queuing for mere bread.  Scavenging  underweight uncontrollable trembling are words that Schlesinger uses to capture our attention and show pathetic condition of the times.

B3 The direct quotes of Lillian Wald of Henry Street Have you ever heard a hungry child cry  Have you seen the uncontrollable trembling of parents who have gone half starved for weeks so that the children may have food serve the purpose of rendering the effect of absolute shock and dismay of the spectators of the scene.

B4 There is no topic sentence in paragraph B. It is not necessary as the whole paragraph is a description of the topic sentence, so it is not weakened at all by the absence.
B5 The conditions of the penniless were inhuman. I would put it after the fourth sentence.

B6 The paragraph should be in the beginning of the book, as the utility of the paragraph is in introducing the plight of the people. I t is only a description. There is no logical progression of event or a conclusion in it hence it may not be suited as the end of the book.

C1 But Roosevelt, armored in some inner faith, remained calm and inscrutable, confident that American improvisation could meet the future on its own terms. Is the topic sentence. It is placed second in the paragraph. The first line, Many had deserted freedom, many more had lost their nerve. It serves to strengthen the topic sentence. It introduces the topic sentence by emphasizing the despair.

C2 In the first paragraph there is a break down of faith whereas in the last paragraph there is almost an assurance of hope.

C3 The last paragraph while marking the end of the hopeless times it also leads us into interesting times, when any experiment was for the better of the nation. With this new president, people looked forward to a new age

C4The sentence Many had deserted freedom, many more had lost their nerve. As well as the words catastrophe, paint a vivid picture of the past as the president rides through the packed American streets.

C5 A beginning with a bang, followed by very effective descriptions which narrate the story in such a way, that a mental picture springs into the readers mind. The author is able to capture the readers imagination completely. All this makes Schlesinger an extremely good writer.


Exercise2

B. Americans in the early 1930s yearned for a dynamic, self-assured leader in the White House, a man who could restore the nations confidence in the aftermath of the stock market crash and the subsequent nose dive of the economy. Herbert Hoover proved unequal to the task. An engineer by training and an introvert by disposition, he lacked the intellectual flexibility and the personal flair to guide a democratic, pluralistic nation through its time of trial. To him, the ideal vacation was a weekend of fly fishing in a trout stream in the Virginia mountains. Only after Franklin D. Roosevelt, a seemingly shallow New York patrician, took the oath of office in March of 1933 did the national mood begin to shift.

Explanation As the other sentences deal with serious economic consequences, this one seems out of place talking of frivolous topics like vacation.

C. The most powerful political asset that African-Americans and women held in Washington D.C., during the New Deal years was the presidents wife, Eleanor. An activist in a variety of reform causes since World War I, Eleanor Roosevelt was determined as First Lady to be more than the keeper of her husbands social calendar. During the 1940s, she would become an enthusiastic supporter of U.S. involvement in the United Nations. She called her own press conferences and permitted entry only to female reporters. She met frequently with relief administrator Harry Hopkins, taking special interest in jobs for women and African-Americans. She nudged FDR leftward on appointments for those underrepresented groups. For her efforts, she gained a special place in the hearts of the downtrodden, but she also sparked criticism and nasty rumors, especially among tradition-minded white southerners.

Explanation An unnecessary detail. It does not compliment her effort as the presidents wife like the rest of the paragraph.

Exercise 3

A
1. During the Depression, more women than men were seeking work. False2. Antagonism toward married women in the workplace was greater than antagonism toward unmarried women. True3. Antagonism toward women in the workplace was greater during the Depression than during previous times of prosperity. True4. During the Depression, more women were employed in the private than in the public sector. False

B
1. During the 1930s, well-connected women played a crucial role in getting some government assistance for less fortunate women. True2. New Deal programs provided just as many benefits for women as for men. False3. Civilian Conservation Corps camps for women were less well equipped than those for men. True4. The New Deal served more men than women, but those women who did get government aid got just as much as their male counterparts. False

Exercise 4
Men of old-fashioned principles really believed that the less said about the unemployed, the faster they would get jobs. They really believed that public relief was bad for the poor because it discouraged them from looking for work or from taking it at wages that would tempt business to start up again. According to their theory, permanent mass unemployment was impossible, because there was work at some wage for every able-bodied man, if he would only find and do it. Charity was necessary, of course, for those who were really disabled through no fault of their own, but there could never be very many of these, and they should be screened carefully and given help of a kind and in a way that would keep them from asking for it as long as possible. Those who held this view were not necessarily hardhearted or self-interested. Josephine Lowell, a woman who devoted her life to the poor, issued he bluntest warning, The presence in the community of certain persons living on the public relief has the tendency to tempt others to sink to their degraded level. That was in 1884, when cities were smaller, and fewer people depended on the ups and downs of factory work.

In her book The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, author Carol Karlsen compellingly focuses her attention on the social and economic underpinnings of witchcraft in 17th century New England, and also brings into the forefront the role of gender within the Puritan society. The books central idea is pointed towards the position of accused witches, most of whom were females. As opposed to the religious perspective of analyzing the reasons behind the accusation and conviction of these so-called witches, Karlsen relies on  rich description and statistical precision  (71), and also pulls together researches from various reliable sources, notably that of Essex court records, firsthand account of the witch trials, personal writings, and other court records in order to further explore the way society reacted to women who appeared as a threat to the church through their inheritance. Due to her increased focus on the economic motivations of allegations against witchcraft, the author is able to offer new insights on how the hysteria of witchcraft, gender, and power relate to one another, and how such associations play a role in the wrong conviction of witchcraft in colonial New England.    From her analysis, Karlsen is able to contend that women accused, tried, and convicted of witchcraft were not those who were poor, as this was the permeating belief for years, but women who stood to inherit, had inherited, or had lost their inheritance. She points out that these  inheriting women  are socially vulnerable for being convicted as witches due to their ascent to a higher socio-economic status in patriarchal dominated society, which is perceived to be threatening the position that men hold in the society.
    Karlsen considers these women as victims of a society that expected women to serve men and bear their heirs, which is rooted in the Puritan idea of women as virtuous helpers to their male counterparts. Hence, women who were able to inherit large amounts of property or land were liable to accusations of witchcraft because they were believed to have been crossing the set standards for gender roles. Accordingly, the author states that  most witches in New England were middle aged or old women eligible for inheritance because they had no brothers or sons  (Karlsen 117). Those women accused of witchcraft were also described as  disagreeable women, at best aggressive and abrasive, at worst ill-tempered, quarrelsome, and spiteful,  although there were no substantial proof for such claim (Karelsen 118). As Puritans treated gender issue religiously, women who deviated from their set roles were perceived as opponents of God. From here, one can easily point out that the persecution of  witches  was enforced in order to discourage many women from going against their prescribed roles even if their actions were left unexamined, and more importantly to maintain the patriarchal social order of that time.
    Karlsens book is well-structured and feminist in style and perspective, as seen from her strong female overtones. However, it does not go into detail about the men who were accused of witchcraft, making it appear a bit one-sided, although this is fairly understandable since most of the witches brought into trial were women. This drawback leaves a room for substantial study surrounding witchcraft and gender in colonial England. Despite this, the author is able to fulfill her purpose of delivering the underlying reasons of witch allegations and persecutions that extend beyond the good and evil premise. Nevertheless, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman is a seminal piece that provides valuable contribution concerning witch-lore and the ambiguous status of women in colonial England. For the forgoing reason, Carol Karlsens work should find its way in the academic premise as well as for those who seek to understand the broad picture of the witchcraft hysteria during the early history of New England.